Locking up petty thieves and drug users (the overwhelming majority of them black and Latino males) for 25 years to life without the possibility of parole is a blatant violation of the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment."
Summary and Conclusion
Changes are needed in order to address the critical problem of overcrowding in U.S. Prisons and as well the fact that there are so many non-violent offenders housed with hardened and violent criminal individuals is as well a problem in the present structure of the prison system. Only legislation of this law into a modified workable solution will address all the relevant issues brought on by the "Three Strikes" law.
Annotated Bibliography
Ehlers, Scott, et al. (2004) Still Striking Out Ten Years of California's Three Strikes Law 2004 September:
According to this work written and published in 2004: " the ten-year anniversary of the signing of the AB 971 "Three Strikes and You're Out" law has arrived.
California's "Three Strikes" Law (2004) Philanthropy News Digest 2004 Mar 9 Justice Policy Institute Online at http://www.justicepolicy.org/article.php?id=423:
According to the Justice Policy Institute report the "Three Strikes" law has contributed to large increases in the state's prison population, inmates added resulted in approximately $8 billion for incarceration of these individuals and $4.7 billion represents the individuals who were non-violent offenders.
Dunphy, Jack (2003) National Review Online "Three Strikes and You're Still Out" National Review Online at; [www.nationalreview.com/dunphy/dunphy0306 03.asp:
In 2003 the Supreme Court ruled, "California's 'three strikes' law does not violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment." (Dunphy, 2004) at issue through the appeals process were the questions of whether or not the sentences imposed on Andrade and Ewing were disproportionate to the crimes for which they were convicted, and whether or not federal courts should have the authority to override a state's lawfully enacted statute governing the sentencing of recidivists.
Greenwood, Peter W. et al. (1994) Three Strikes and You're Out: Estimated Benefits and Costs of California's New mandatory-sentencing Law" Rand!994:
Documented analysis of the "benefits and costs of California's new...
Three Strikes Law There are numerous problems associated with the prison system in the state of California. More than a few of these problems are directly caused by the state's infamous Three Strikes legislation -- in which individuals who receive three felonies are sentenced to 25 years to a life term in prison. In codifying the problems related to the state's prison system as identified by the essay written by the
Criminal Justice -- Three Strikes Law Decades ago, America got tough on crime, especially when it involved habitual offenders. In order to reduce crime, at least 26 states passed Three Strikes Law giving especially long sentences to those offenders. The original Three Strikes Law had consequences that outweighed the benefits, so many states have amended or otherwise revised Three Strikes, usually reducing or eliminating mandatory maximum sentences and giving judges more
Three Strikes Law on the African-American Community Three Strikes legislation, which imposes sentencing enhancement on repeat offenders, often culminating with mandatory life sentences for third-time offenders, has gained popularity throughout the United States. The legislation began in California, where two highly publicized murders committed by convicted felons prompted an outcry against allowing recidivists to return to the community. California did see a decrease in crime rates following its institution of
Therefore, by increasing the costs of imprisonment by the three strikes law, it is intended that there will be less crime. Marwell and Moody express several difficulties with the laws in the 24 states: Criminals are not always aware of the laws, at least not initially; repeat criminals can be expected to serve substantial prison terms even in the absence of the laws; almost all of the states already
Three Strike Law: The Three Strikes Laws are policies in the criminal justice system that target repeat criminals and are enacted by many states. Following three distinct offense convictions or strikes, offenders are locked out of society by being sentenced to life imprisonment. The reason behind the Three Strike Law is that offenders who commit crimes repeatedly are likely to pose a serious threat to the society and should be
Stratified sampling will allow the research team to take these prejudices into account when examining the data so as to avoid any skewing resulting from prejudices. The potential population in this study is clearly defined. Although the effect of the three strike rule on the general public cannot be completely disregarded, it is more likely that the general public is more greatly affected by generalized criminal statutes to govern their
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